ok i have 950usd, convince me, should i get the ep1 and why?

<p>ok. i have this money to burn and am interested in the ep1. tell me why i should get it from say a photographic standpoint as opposed to a money standpoint and try to compare it to the g1 and dp1. i want the image quality to be there which is the major factor in my decision. thks. ll</p>

<p>This ones' easy....get the G1. It's a better camera. It's more versatile. There's nothing better about the E-P1 other than the "look", and that's enough to hook a lot of people. The screens on the G1 are higher resolution, the autofocus system is better, you have a great swing out back LCD if you want to shoot that way and a great eyelevel finder if you want to use larger lenses and holding the camera up to your eye is more comfortable than holding it out in front of you.</p>

<p>If you want the E-P1, you want it, but I'm not gonna tell you it is a better camera than the Panasonic G1, because it is not.</p>

<p>you may have just sold me on the g1 because i tried it in the store and really liked it. i tried the ep1 and just liked it. maybe that is my answer. thks. ll</p>

<blockquote>

<p>There's nothing better about the E-P1 other than the "look", and that's enough to hook a lot of people.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Agree.</p>

<p>G1 = ugly and useful. </p>

<p>E-P1 =beautiful and a fondler item.</p>

aesthetics and harmony are just an important to a hobbyist. if you are not shooting to pro needs which neither of these cameras are the the olympus feels just that much better in your hand, choose the latter.

<p>"money to burn " IMHO the EP-1 is a fashion statement. Get the G1 or wait and see what the next micro 4/3 offerings will be. Me? I am going to wait. :- )</p>

<p>The iPhone is an imminently useful fashion statement.</p>

<p>The EP-1 has image stabilization built into the body. Any lens stuck on the front is stabilized. The EP-1 is also interesting smaller enough to push it over the threshold of much better portability.</p>

<p>Having said this, I haven't bought anything yet. It's too early in the product cycle, and I'd like to try the GH-1 as well. Video is just as important to me as stills. It's a big win if the GH-1 is good enough to mean not having to haul around a separate HDV camcorder.</p>

<p>I don't believe that you should. Personally, I'm of the conclusion that there are numerous better cameras available than the EP-1 for that price or less. Including Olympus' own e-620, which is basically a 4/3 version of an EP-1 with a reflex viewing system and an articulated LCD added, and a $300 lower cost.</p>

<p>If the allure of Micro 4/3 is for the use of more legacy lenses than 4/3 alone offers, the Panasonic G1 seems more functional - and also quite a bit less costly.</p>

It does have some advantages over the G1: smaller size, lighter weight, in-body IS, and (maybe, based on a few images that I've seen) slightly better performance at high ISOs. If the AF were up to G1 standards, I'd probably be willing to swap my G1 for one. I like the G1's viewfinder and flippy display, but the smaller size and in-body IS are big benefits IMO.

<p>tks for all comments. i will probably research the h... out of this and either wait or maybe buy. but now i am going back and forth. would like to have both but cant. back to the store to try em both out. thks, ll</p>

<p>You say you want the most for your money, tell you what I am going to do for you , ll...</p>

<p>For this weekend only, if you buy a G-1 ll, you get 10 free lessons from an esteemed member of the forum. (You know who)... And we throw in, at no extra cost, not one cent, a microfiber cloth-- as long as stock remains.</p>

<p>That's not all Lisa. We got more for you. The box with G-1 has oversize bubble wrap with<strong> big plastic popping quality </strong> bubbles that are cool for poppin' fun at parties. :-) LOL, ll. I do wish you well,seriously. Use your choice in good health. Both cameras sound great! A dilemma even for yours truly.</p>

<p>gerry, for awhile there, i thought i was back at one of the dpreview forums! lol, ll</p>

<p>I'm not planning on buying either camera, but I don't agree the comments here. Appearance of a camera is <em>not just</em> vanity. There is also the issue of personal handling. Nikon makes great quality cameras and have great lenses but I will never own a Nikon, Classic or Digital, for the simple fact that the bodies are too big for my hands and all of the controls are laid out in an illogical and backwards way from how I shoot. You wouldn't buy a car based on engine performance alone or a house based on the number of rooms it has. I would be far more inclined to rate these cameras based on physical differences of control layouts than IQ, which is probably so close to the same that it's not even worth rattling your brain about.</p>

<p>http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmcg1/page4.asp<br>

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/olympusep1/page5.asp</p>

<p><img src="http://www.radiantlite.com/uploaded_images/olympus-ep-1-panasonic-gh1-727359.jpg" alt="" width="775" height="225" /></p>

<p>I couldn't find any side-by-side comparisons of the back controls, but they are somewhat different. Immediate reactions you can make looking at this image are pretty simple, but so different as to be more likely to sell one of the other. Personally, I can't stand the built-in-grip on most digital cameras, it just feels awkward in my hand, again possibly because many of them seem to be designed for someone with huge hands. My fingers just don't naturally <em>do</em> that, maybe because I'm left handed. You will notice that the G1 has all the main controls on the right side, so one handed operation is probably easier, whereas the main function dial is on the left of the EP1, requiring two handed grip for changing modes. It also appears that the G1 has more dedicated buttons and switches than the EP1, which I would think means less need to spend time in the menus. EP1 has a rear scroll wheel and the G1 has a front scroll wheel. Without a viewfinder, the EP1 is designed to be used at arm's length, which may be why it has more buttons on the back than the top. </p>

<p>I find that if the shutter release of a camera iseven just a few millimeters in the wrong place, my finger will miss it. If the other controls have the wrong placement or feeling, I just won't enjoy using the camera. I know that classic Olympus cameras always had excellently oriented controls. The designers made clay models to ensure they were laid out correctly.... I wonder how many digital cameras are just drawn up in CAD and are never held by a designer? These cameras are so different that I can't imagine choosing between them based on statistics. If I was going to chunk $1000 into the wind, I would probably be willing to drive an hour to physically hold both in a store. That's the only way to know for sure I think.</p>

<p>you got it and thats what i am doing, going to a store to try em out. thks, ll</p>

My PenFT is still my favorite shooter, so no dilemma for me.

 

Benikesh

<p>Money to burn? How about loaning me some? I have two kids going to college and no govt. bailout money.</p>

<p>On a slightly more serious note. I think I'd wait to see what the near future holds. Many people think (from Olympus' hints) that the EP will be something special in its next iteration which supposedly is coming "soon". </p>

<p>I do like the look and size of the EP and was thinking of buying one to take on my vacation, but I have decided to leave the film cameras and dslrs home this time and just use my new Pany compact.<br>

BTW, what do you have now? </p>

<p>if a new model is coming soon maybe i will wait too. fortunately, i am not short on toys to play with. i have an f4, f5, g10 and gx100 to name a few. my favorites at this time are the f4s and the tough 8000 in which the lcd kicks b.... if the ep1 lcd is anything like the 8000 one in the sun that would be cool. thks, ll</p>

<p>I've never even seen an ep-1, but the lcd resolution is 1/2 that of the G1. There was speculation that the resolution may be a problem (because there is no optical or electronic viewfinder). People who have actually used it say that the lcd is fine though. </p>

 

You can't have both. The EP is small enough to carry anywhere. But the G1/GH1 has EVF which is useful for taking

pictures in bright sunlight. But I'm getting E620 because it's cheaper, and will be a match for ZD70-300 for bird shots. The

ZD70-300 can fit the EP, but I wonder how am I going to shoot birds holding the camera at arm's length.

<p>I have to say that I think that the e-620 is a better choice for most users: It's not much larger than a G-1, and it has an optical viewfinder and superior focusing capability than an E-P1 - and is otherwise built onto the same imaging system, including IS. It also costs at least $300 less than an E-P1.</p>

<p>I suppose there really are four choices now. 620 (or 420) is a true SLR, but a small one. Viewfinder is also small and not that good, but still a true DSLR. G-1 is something in between, with a good electronic viewfinder, but still electronic which means it is better in some respects but worse in others, in some direct lighting for example, and certainly consumes more power than an SLR. DP-1/2 is a small fixed focal length compact, smallest of the lot but with a fixed lens. This makes using a separate viewfinder easy since there is just one focal length to worry about. But this is really a compact digcam, meaning that shooting speed is slow, AF is slow, LCD is smallish with poor resolution. So a lot of compromises against its small size, but with good image quality. EP-1 is another compromise, like the DP-1 but bigger, faster and with interchangeable lenses. Yet smaller than a G-1 or DLSR, and well suited for a fixed focal length lens and a separate viewfinder. Everybody has his opinion based on their own needs. Nothing much anybody else can do to convince otherwise. </p>

<p>yeah, i am gonna get a g1 i think because you can hold it up to your face and the evf is really good, its more versitile and the vf for the ep1 doesnt do it for me. thks, ll</p>

<p>One other thing that I love about the G1 is how it makes manual focusing so much easier (for older folks in particular). When you turned on the MF/AF function, the image in the view finder will automatically enlarge the moment it detects that the focusing ring is turned. This works well with slow lenses in low light, a feature that the small optical view finder of regular dSLR just cannot match. For the E-620, I do not like the fact that it uses the built in flash as AF-assist. This must be really annoying to people to which the camera is pointed. Finally, the mirror flops in the dSLR will also degrade image quality, but G1 and EP1 do not have this problem.</p>

<p>Samsung has the NX in the wings too.</p>

<p>I bought the G1 recently and has been very happy with it and the two kit lenses. Amazon had a special over the holidays for $695 for 3 pieces. I deicded not to go with E-P1 due to low-res lcd and no EVF. The G1 EVF is very bright and sharp . I plan to buy the Pan super wide 7-14mm and with 3 lenses in a small package I'm set for street shooting. I like the jpegs out of G1 too sharp and contrasty. If you really want Oly camera I would wait till they come out with G1 like version. </p>